What visitors see today are actually two distinct building phases: the remains of what was likely a 13th-century hall, and a tower house added some three hundred years later in the 16th century. The earlier structure’s eastern and northern walls still stand one storey high, featuring tall slit windows with rounded masonry arches and widely splayed embrasures. When the later tower was built directly against the northern side, it incorporated the existing wall into its design, with traces of the original hall’s arched doorway still visible where it was blocked up during construction.

The four-storey tower, though partially collapsed at its upper levels, reveals the typical defensive architecture of 16th-century Ireland. Its thick walls, measuring about 2.5 metres across, contain vaulted chambers on the ground and second floors. The first-floor main chamber, accessed via a 19th-century doorway, connects to an original spiral staircase tucked into the northeast corner. This staircase winds upward through the building, providing access to each level including the second-floor chamber with its distinctive wicker-centred vault. The third floor, now open to the elements with a modern concrete floor, once commanded impressive views across the river valley. Short sections of walling along the cliff edge to the southeast and south likely formed part of a bawn wall, with traces of what may have been a gun-loop still visible.

The castle’s history reflects the changing fortunes of Anglo-Norman families in Cork. Known as the Castle of the Roches after its original owners, it passed to the Hendley family in the 17th century. An 1844 sketch shows the structure in better condition than today, depicting a small tower in the south wall that has since vanished. For those interested in medieval Irish architecture, Licklash offers a particularly clear example of how defensive structures adapted over time; the crude construction of the early hall contrasting with the more sophisticated masonry of the later tower, whilst features like the drawbar socket extending through a window embrasure showcase the ingenious security measures of the period.